the largest ships that ever set sail in the world, most of them have been demolished at various points in history and scrapped from the face of the earth. The Seawise Giant or later known as the Knock Nevis, which is considered to be the biggest ship ever made had her final voyage in December 2009.

he existing largest ships are mostly containers and tankers and cruise ships. Here we have a list of the top 10 largest ships in the world in 2011 in an ascending order:

10) COSCO Guangzhou

Arguably ranked 10th in the list of world’s largest ships in 2011 is the Cosco Guangzhou, a container ship built in 2006 for Cosco Ship Management at the company’s shipyards and sails between the ports of China, India, Japan, Western Europe and the United States. Weighing 107,000 metric tons (deadweight tonnage), it has a length of 350 meters (1,150 ft), with a beam of 43 meters (141 ft). Its fuel efficient and less lubricant oil consuming engine enables to cruise at a maximum speed of 24.5 knots.

9) CMA CGM Medea

The next in the line is the CMA CGM Medea, a container ship, built in 2006 in the ship-yard of Hyundai Heavy Industries, boasts a length of 350 meters (1,150 ft) and a beam of 43 meters (141 ft). 50,109 net tons and a deadweight tonnage of 113,909 metric tons make the ship larger and more profitable. A reliable and high power engine produces a maximum speed of 25.4 knots.

8) Axel Maersk

A Danish container ship, Axel Maersk is part of the fleet of the Maersk Line. Constructed in 2003 in the ship-yard of the Maersk Line in Odense, Denmark, this ship is 352 meters (1,154.86 ft) long, with a beam of 43.00 m (141.08 ft) and weighs 109,000 metric tons (deadweight tonnage) with a with a gross tonnage of 93,496 gross tons. A strong and reliable main engine, which is also designed to emit lesser CO2, empowers the Axel Maersk to reach a maximum speed of 25.4 knots and a cruising speed of 23.9 knots.

7) Allure of the Seas

Considered as the largest cruise ship ever constructed, the Allure of the Seas is owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. 360 meters (1,181 ft) long and boasting 225,282 gross tonnage, the Allure of the Seas is packed with numerous features like: entertainment and events with DreamWorks characters, Royal Caribbean’s L’Ecole Nouvelle, Specialty Dining at Chops Grille, Ocean Views Films Premiere, and Family-Game Night at Sea, Royal Advantage Revitalization etc.

6) Oasis of the Seas

The older sister of the Allure of the Seas, this was first of her class, built in 2009, and had set a record of carrying over 6,000 passengers. Almost identical to its sister in terms of length and gross tonnage this, one of the largest cruise ships, houses a zip-line, a casino, a mini-golf course, night clubs, Central Park featuring boutiques, restaurants and bars, a karaoke club, comedy club, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center features a spa for teens, five swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, a science lab and computer gaming and theme parks and nurseries for children.

5) MSC Danit

Built in 2009 in Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Ltd, South Korea, the MSC Danit is a container ship ordered by Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. An overall length of 365.50 meters (1,199.1 ft) and molded beam of 51.20 meters (168.0 ft) with a maximum draft of 16.00 meters (52.49 ft) complimented by deadweight of 165,517 metric tons and gross tonnage of 153,092 make this ship one of the biggest ships in the world.

4) MSC Beatrice

Built by Samsung Heavy Industries, South Korea, in 2009, the MSC Beatrice owns the world’s second largest capacity of 13,798 TEU. Featuring a length of 366.1 meters (1,201 ft) and a deadweight tonnage of 156.301 GWT the MSC Beatrice can run at a maximum speed of 25.2 knots. The unique design of the ship helps in increasing container capacity and improving the torsional strength.

3) Gudrun Maersk

Functional since 2005, it is one of the largest container ships capable of carrying 8,500 TEU and with deadweight of 115,700 metric tons. The Gudrun Maersk has a length of 367 meters (1,204 ft) with a beam of 43 meters (141 ft). 24 knots is the maximum speed while the cruising speed is 23.2 knots.

2) TI class supertankers

These are assumed to be the world’s largest double-hulled supertankers. Built in 2002-03, these have a length of 379 m (1,243 ft) with a gross weight of 234,006 GT. Four ships comprise the fleet of IT class supertankers which are – TI Africa, TI Asia, TI Europe and TI Oceania. Here the “TI” stands for the ULCC Tanker Pool operator Tankers International L.L.C.

1) Emma Maersk

With a capacity of 14,770 TEU and length of 397 meters (1,302 ft), the Emma Maersk is currently the longest functional ship and was once the largest container ship in the world. Owned by the A. P. Moller- Maersk Group, it was built at the Odense Steel Shipyard in Denmark in 2006. Emma Maersk’s sails around the ports of Ningbo, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yantian, Algeciras, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, and then back to Ningbo.